Dragon Spirit
by Night-the-Dragon
Summary: Two boys, opposites of each other, each find a strange egg the night following a meteor shower. When they hatch, the boys' lives are changed forever. The two boys lead different lives growing up, one forced into growing up fast, and the other nurtured by loved ones. When the world's balance is disrupted, though, what will stop the evil force behind it? Taito, Yaoi, AU.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yet another Taito fic! This one incorporates a couple of my OC's, Night and Shadow. It'll be alternating POV's with Matt and Tai, but I'll start off with Matt. Also, Matt and Tai are 13 when this starts. By the way, Kari and TK aren't in this. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story & the dragons.

Dragon Spirit

Chapter 1

X*X(Matt's POV)X*X

"Whoa…" I murmured, watching the shooting stars during the meteor shower. They rarely ever happened, so it was something I didn't want to miss.

"Yamato! Go to bed! It's late!" my mom shouted up to my room from downstairs.

"But Mom! There's a meteor shower!" I protested.

"I don't care! Go to bed!" she snapped, and I was quick to comply, turning off my bedroom light and curling up under my blanket.

_I wish I had a true friend to protect me…_ I thought as I went to sleep.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

When I woke up the next morning, it was early, and I was fortunate to have woken before my parents. Eagerly, I ran outside to look around my home for any evidence of the meteor shower, and possibly my wish being granted, but I didn't see anything. Sullenly, I began to head back to the house when something caught my eye: a gleam of something shining by the creek. Curious, I made my way over to the source, and discovered there was a silver egg, about the size of a softball, sitting by the water's edge.

"An egg? What's it doing by the creek?" I wondered aloud, but when I realized what I was doing, I sighed. "Talking to yourself, Yamato. Real nice." I decided to pick up the egg for a closer look, but as soon as I touched it, it glowed brightly and began to shake. I stumbled back, falling on my ass with a gasp as the egg hatched, revealing a small silver dragon.

It was lizard-like in appearance and size, and had plated armor instead of scales. His tiny wings were slender, like thin branches, and he had completely pure silver eyes. He actually resembled a star-filled night sky, in my opinion. He looked up at me curiously, and I carefully bent down, scooping him up in my hands.

In all honesty, I was stunned; dragons are incredibly rare, and some are even thought to be a sign of good luck. I'm sure this little guy was a sign for me that things would perk up for me.

"Who…are you?" the little dragon asked me in a small voice. He sounded as though he was trying to test out his voice.

"My name is Yamato Ishida, but you can call me Matt," I told him without hesitation, smiling slightly. "Do you have a name?"

"No," he shook his head.

"Then I'll name you Night," I declared, and placed him on my shoulder, where his tiny claws gently dug into my skin without hurting me.

"It's nice to know I've finally met you, Matt," he told me, sighing in content.

"Wait, what?" I uttered, shocked. He'd been waiting for me?

"Yes, you're my chosen human," he smiled. "Before I hatched, I knew I was waiting for my human. I didn't know what you looked like, but I knew your name. I'm so happy to finally meet you, Matt!" I blinked in surprise for a moment before replying.

"I'm happy that we met, Night. Very happy," I replied, rubbing his small head with my finger. "Come on; let's go show you to my family."

"Okay," he nodded, and I walked back home, making my way to the kitchen, where my mom was cooking breakfast.

"Good morning, Mom," I greeted, and she turned to me, but gasped in horror when she spotted Night on my shoulder.

"Yamato! What is that on your shoulder?!" she demanded, shaking in fear.

"Oh, he's a dragon," I told her. "His name is Night."

"Get rid of it!" she spat. "Either get rid of it now, or I'll kick you out!"

"Wha? I don't get it. Aren't dragons supposed to be good luck?" I questioned, bewildered by my mom's behavior.

"Not silver dragons!" she snapped. "Now get rid of it!"

"No! He's been waiting for me!" I shouted, and then my father drowsily stumbled into the kitchen.

"What's with all the yelling?!" he demanded, glaring at us.

"Yamato found a silver dragon and refuses to get rid of it!" Mom told him, and he glared at me, seeing Night on my shoulder. The poor dragon was tensed up, fearful of my parents.

"Get rid of it, Matt," Dad ordered, but I shook my head.

"No. He's mine!" I argued.

"Then pack your shit and leave, 'cause I sure as hell refuse to allow a silver dragon in my house," Dad growled, and my eyes widened in response. I then narrowed them as Night began to quiver fearfully.

"Fine. I'll leave. But you'll never find us if you come looking," I snapped, and went up to my room to pack some of my things.

"Matt…I'm so sorry I got you kicked out…" Night mumbled sadly as I threw some clothes into my backpack, plus some snacks I had hidden in my room. I even threw in my wallet and some other things I knew would come in handy later, like my pocketknife.

"Don't worry about it, Night. I had a feeling I would end up leaving before I was 18, anyway, so it's okay," I assured him. "This day just came sooner than I thought, is all."

"Well, I can at least do my best to protect you and help us get through, I guess," he murmured, nuzzling me.

"The least I can ask is for you to be my friend, Night," I told him with a small smile, my blue eyes lighting up as I spoke.

"Of course, Yamato, I always will be," he promised. I finished packing my things, grabbed my dagger from my 8th birthday and slid it into its sheath, strapping it to one of my combat boots from my 13th birthday this past year.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go," I announced, and we left without a word to my parents. They said nothing either, so we didn't even pause on our way out. I had no idea we would be living as thieves for the next five years…

X*X(Tai's POV, The Same Night As The Meteor Shower)X*X

"Tai, come on! The meteor shower is starting!" my mom called to me from outside.

"Coming, Mom!" I shouted back from my bedroom. I quickly ran outside, gazing in awe at the shooting stars that flew through the sky. "Whoa…"

"Make a wish, Taichi," Dad advised. When I looked at him curiously, he added, "They say if you make a wish during a meteor shower, it'll come true." I nodded.

_I wish I could always protect my friends and family…_ I wished.

My family and I watched them, amazed, as they darted through the inky night sky. Too soon, though, it ended, and I sighed.

"It'll be okay, Tai. As long as you made a wish, anyway," Mom smiled.

"Yeah, I did. But I can't tell you, or else it won't come true!" I replied quickly, and my parents laughed.

"No worries, we won't ask," Dad chuckled. "Now, let's go to bed. It's a busy day tomorrow, seeing as it'll be your birthday!"

"Yeah!" I crowed, and raced into the house and up to my room, getting changed quickly and into my bed. _I can't wait for tomorrow…_ I thought as I fell asleep.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

"Happy Birthday, Taichi!"

"WAAAH!" I wailed, falling out of bed with a thump in shock. I blinked up in surprise at my parents, who were laughing as they held a present for me. I pouted at being laughed at.

"We're sorry, Tai, that was too funny, though!" Dad chuckled. "Happy Birthday, kiddo."

"Here's your first present, honey," Mom told me, handing me the wrapped gift.

"Thanks Mom! Thanks Dad!" I chirped, and quickly opened it, revealing a dagger with a black diamond in the silver handle. "Holy… IT'S SO COOL!" I shrieked, and hugged my parents tightly. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, Tai," Mom smiled.

"I finally convinced your mother that you need a small weapon of your own for protecting yourself in case of emergencies," Dad smirked, and I laughed.

"Well, anyway, let's get some breakfast in you, and then you can go out for a bit," Mom said pointedly, and I followed my parents down to the dining room, where there was pancakes, bacon, and eggs out on the table. It was all steaming hot, fresh, and looked delicious.

"Damn, Mom, it looks great!" I grinned, and quickly sat down at the table, piling the delicious food onto my plate.

"Watch your language, Taichi," Mom chided, and I nodded with a mouthful of food, but rolled my eyes when her back was turned.

"So, what're your plans for today, Tai?" Dad asked.

"I'm gonna go swimming in the river, and then I'll practice my archery today," I replied after swallowing.

"Just don't drown," Mom warned, but I rolled my eyes again.

"I'll be fine, Mom!" I promised with a whiny tone in my voice that I didn't like.

"Don't worry about him, Yuuko," Dad advised. "He can swim, after all."

"Yeah, I'll be fine!" I chimed in.

"Okay, okay, I'll back off," Mom smiled softly, and Dad ruffled my hair. I swatted his hands away with an indignant noise.

After breakfast, I went out to the river, eager to cool off in the water, when I spotted a gleam from something in a hollow among some tree roots.

"What's that?" I wondered aloud. I set my stuff down on a rock and made my way over, curious. Imagine my surprise when I found a black egg about the size of a softball in the hollow. I reached for it so I could pull it out, but when I touched it, the egg glowed brightly and shook. I quickly retracted my hand, shocked by the action, and watched as the egg rolled out of the hollow to sit before me. It then hatched into a small black dragon, which blinked at me. I knew that dragons existed, but they were also incredibly rare and considered signs of good luck.

This one resembled a lizard, especially in size, but with plated armor instead of scales, and had a tiny pair of slender wings. His eyes were completely pitch black.

"Who are you?" he asked, and I blinked back in response.

"I'm…Taichi Yagami, but just call me Tai," I replied. It didn't say anything. "Don't you have a name?"

"No," he shook his head.

"Well, I'll call you Shadow," I smiled.

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Tai," Shadow grinned. At my confused face, he added, "I've been waiting for you to find me so we could be friends. I knew your name, but not what you looked like. I'm so happy!"

"As long as your happy, then I'm happy," I said, and carefully picked the little dragon up. "Come on, I'll take you back to my house! My parents will love this!"

I was right. When I brought Shadow home, both Mom and Dad were ecstatic. They told me that black dragons were rare, and were also incredibly lucky. When Shadow told them I was his chosen human, though, they looked at each other, and then us.

"Taichi, we think you may have something to do with an ancient prophecy," Dad told me.

"What prophecy?" I asked.

"It involves two humans and two dragons, and it speaks of them partnering together and conquering the darkness to restore the balance in the world," Mom answered. "And it seems like you and Shadow are one of those partnered pairs." I looked at Shadow, who was perched on my shoulder.

"Is that why you're here, Shadow?" I questioned.

"I honestly don't know. I just know that I was waiting for you so I could hatch," he replied with a small shrug.

"Well, if this prophecy is true, then I guess I need to start training so I can be ready for a journey," I said, mainly to myself.

"I don't know about this…" Mom murmured, her expression one of worry.

"He'll be fine, Yuuko," Dad assured her. "We'll let him leave for his journey when he's 17. That way he'll have time to prepare himself for it."

"WHAT?!" I shrieked. "I have to wait until I'm _17_?! But that's in four years! I can't wait that long!"

"Taichi, I'll let you leave in three years, when you're 16, if you'd like," Mom smiled softly at me.

"Are you sure, Mom? I know you're worried about me, but I'll be okay!" I promised.

"Don't make me reconsider it, Taichi," she warned, and we hugged. Dad patted my back, and I grinned up at him.

"We'll make sure you're ready," he said, and then shook his head. "All right, enough of this. You have some more presents to open, Taichi." Mom giggled.

"Really?" I grinned. My parents nodded, and I raced to search for them, Shadow easily gripping my shoulder as we went.

"You're an eager human, Taichi, and I like it," he chuckled. I paused to rub his head lightly before going to my room since I hadn't found anything in the other rooms of the house. As soon as I opened my door and saw the inside, I gasped in amazement; there was a bunch of presents on my bed, all for me to open.

"Awesome!" I cried out, and began to open them. In the end, I had gotten a katana blade, a pair of leather boots, a compass that once belonged to my grandfather, a sheath for the katana, and my dad's old telescope.

Finally, I was surprised when my parents came and gave me one last present: a necklace with a pendant that resembled the sun. There was a second pendant in the box, though, and when I pulled it out, it looked like a yin-and-yang symbol, but without the circles inside and with two spikes sticking out of the sides, one on the left side and one on the right side, and they curved in opposite directions away from each other.

"What's the second one?" I asked, placing the sun pendant around my neck.

"Well, first off, the sun means courage, and as for the second one, it represents friendship," Dad explained. "It's to give to the other person with their dragon. Never lose it, Taichi. It's very important."

"I won't, Dad," I promised seriously. Glancing down at the pendant around my neck, I added, "Thank you."

"I know you won't," he smiled, and ruffled my hair affectionately. "All right, sport, let's get some dinner. We'll have some birthday cake afterwards, and then you're off to bed."

"Awww, Dad! Do I have to?" I whined, and Shadow chuckled by my ear.

"Yes, Taichi. You start training in combat tomorrow," he reminded me, and I nodded vigorously.

"All right," I agreed, and we went down to eat. After we had dinner, followed with cake, Shadow and I curled up in my bed. "I hope our adventure won't be too difficult…" I murmured as Shadow snuggled into my side.

"But, Tai, that's what makes an adventure so fun," he told me wisely. "If there's no difficulty to a journey, then you don't gain anything from it."

"How would you know?" I asked suspiciously.

"I don't know for certain, I just feel that way," he answered.

"Oh. Well, anyway, goodnight, Shadow," I murmured, and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, Taichi," he sighed, and we went to sleep.

A/N: Okay, now I got a message from a good friend of mine, and she told me that this sounds a lot like Eragon, but trust me, I didn't have that in mind when I was thinking of this fic. I swear, it's not like Eragon. Anyway, I hope you guys like this fic, and I'll have the next update soon! R&R, peeps!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Now for the time skip! I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter, so now, on to the second! Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story, Night, & Shadow.

Dragon Spirit

Chapter 2

X*X(Tai's POV)X*X

X*X(3 Years Later)X*X

"Ready, Shadow?" I asked my friend.

"Yeah, whenever you are," the black dragon nodded. We had bidden my parents farewell, and had already left town. Everyone in the town had contributed in some way in preparing us for our journey, and we were now fully ready to go out and find the other person and their dragon.

Whoever the other dragon was, they had to be like Shadow, or else it would be difficult to find them. That would make it a little easier, according to Shadow. He could track them if he caught a scent of another dragon. Right now, though, he was in a horse form, seeing as he could shape-shift, and that way we could carry everything easier. Also, it would keep people from discovering what he really is. Yes, dragons are revered all over the world, except for some, but there are those who think of them as monsters. My partner and I mutually agreed that he would remain in different forms as we traveled so as to prevent himself from being discovered.

"Taichi?" he said, gaining my attention.

"Yes?"

"It's getting late, and I need to hunt and get some water," he told me, and I patted his neck gently.

"All right, we'll stop for the night once we find a river or something," I agreed, and he changed direction slightly, heading to some source of water. When we reached it, I climbed off of my friend's back, allowing him to shift back to his normal self.

"Ah, much better," he grinned.

"Good to know," I nodded. "Go ahead and go hunting while I set up camp. I'll even try to start the fire while you're gone."

"Okay, I won't be long," he replied, and slunk into the forest to hunt. Once he was gone, I began to pitch the tent, and then set up a fire pit, deciding against lighting the fire and opting instead to let Shadow light it. I fished out the pendant with the crest of friendship on it, as I had come to calling it, holding it up to look at it in the moonlight. It was such an interesting design, and I could see why it was for friendship. There was a faint glow to it, but it may have just been the moonlight.

Suddenly, it disappeared from my hand, and I looked about, alarmed. How the _**fuck**_ did it just vanish from my hand?!

"What the—?" I started to say, but then I heard a snicker from nearby. "Who's there?!"

"Wow, you're pretty oblivious, ain't ya?" the voice chuckled. "Haven't you heard of the thieves that live here?"

"Don't toy with me!" I snapped, but then I spotted a pair of shadows in a tree leap away. "Get back here!"

"Catch me if you can!" he taunted. Glaring after him, I gave a shrill whistle, and then Shadow ran over to me in a hurry.

"What's wrong, Tai?" he asked.

"A thief just stole the necklace!" I cried out. The black dragon's eyes widened in horror.

"But your dad gave that to you!" he yelped.

"I know! Shadow, you need to go get it back!" I pleaded, and my friend bolted after the thieves. I waited as patiently as I could for him, but after a few minutes, I ended up running after them, especially when I heard shouts and snarls.

X*X(Matt's POV)X*X

"Damn, he's got something following us, and it's fast, maybe as fast as me," Night growled, and I glanced at him as we darted through the trees.

"What is it?" I asked, looking ahead again.

"I can't quite tell, not unless we hide and I get a good whiff of his scent," the silver dragon grumbled, and I nodded.

"Then we'll hide for a second until you figure out what it is," I decided.

"As you wish, Yamato," he nodded, and we dashed through a creek, hiding in the branches of a tall tree. The black creature that had been chasing us paused when he reached the base of the tree, circling around and sniffing. Night silently crept closer, sniffing as well, but quietly, and then his eyes widened in shock. He teleported back to the branch I was perched on, and hissed, "It's a dragon!"

"What? But…how?" I breathed. "I thought you were the only one?"

"Apparently not," my partner grumbled. "At any rate, we need to find that boy that was with that dragon down there."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" I demanded quietly.

"We'll backtrack to their campsite," he whispered simply. "Come on, I'll lead this time." And with that, Night flitted back to the campsite, and I was swift to follow. Unfortunately, the black dragon down below heard us, and raced after us on the ground with a snarl.

"Faster, Night! He spotted us!" I shouted, and he quickly shot an ice blast to slow down the dragon on the ground, and it worked, but only for a second.

"Get back here, thieves!" he bellowed after us. "That's an important pendant!"

"Shit," I hissed. "He's gaining on us!"

"I know that! Go on ahead, I'll hold him off!" Night ordered, and shot at the black dragon like a bullet. The one on the ground shrieked in surprise as he was tackled, and I ran on ahead, leaping along the branches with ease. It was when I finally made my way to the ground, though, that I ran into a bit of trouble. The brunette boy I had stolen the pendant from skidded to a stop in front of me, holding a katana blade firmly in his right hand.

"Easy, I don't want to fight," I assured him, holding my hands up in surrender and leaving my own katana blade in its sheath on my back. His chocolate brown eyes narrowed at me in suspicion.

"Why not? You obviously wanted to steal from me," he growled.

"I wanted to talk to you, that's all. And return this," I told him, holding out the pendant. He eyed me warily before snatching away and tucking it into his pocket.

"What did you want to talk about? And why return what you stole?" he demanded. I opened my mouth, about to reply, but then there was a bunch of snarls that alerted us both.

"Night!"

"Shadow!"

Our voices called the names at the same time, and after fixing me with a weird look, the brunette raced off to the source. Shrugging, I shot after him, and soon realized we were running side-by-side. I ignored that fact and used a small burst of speed to run ahead, making it to the pair of fighting dragons first. The brunette joined me right after, his eyes widening at the sight of Night and the other dragon fighting.

"Night! Stop!" I shouted, and he paused, glaring mildly at the other before returning to my side.

"Shadow, are you okay?" the brunette asked the black dragon as he check him over.

"I'm fine, Taichi," Shadow insisted. "A little sore, but okay."

"Oh, please, I barely hit you! You blocked me almost every time!" Night snorted. He then looked up at me with a little bit of worry. "You're not hurt, are you, Yamato?"

"No, I'm fine," I assured him.

"Okay, if you say so…" the silver dragon sighed.

"Night, you need to apologize, as do I," I told him.

"Fine…" he grumbled, and approached Shadow. "Sorry for attacking you, I was merely trying to protect Yamato." Shadow gave a slight grin.

"I accept your apology," the black dragon replied. "I know what you mean. I was trying to get back what Taichi's father had given him. It's very important to us."

"How so?" I asked, jumping in.

"First off, let's go back to the campsite, and then we'll talk," Shadow suggested.

"But, Shadow! What about—" Taichi started to say, but Shadow fixed him with a firm look.

"They may just be the ones," he said, and the brunette's demeanor changed entirely.

"I understand," he nodded, and we left to the campsite in silence. As we walked, however, Night opened his telepathic communication to me.

'_What do you think they're talking about?'_ he wondered.

'_No clue, but it may be worth our while to find out,'_ I thought back. _'After all, we're not being hostile to them, and vice versa, so it'll be worth it to find out what they're going on about.'_

Night gave a mumbled sound of agreement, making Shadow glance back at us. My partner rolled his eyes in response, and Shadow looked back ahead. Once we reached the small campsite, the brunette and his dragon got a fire going and some rabbit cooking over the flames.

"So, where to start…" Taichi murmured.

"We could introduce ourselves properly," I suggested with a smirk. Holding out my hand to him, I said, "Yamato Ishida. Just call me Matt, though."

"Taichi Yamachi, but call me Tai," he replied, and shook my hand.

"I'm sorry about before," I apologized. "I've been a thief for three years so we could survive out here."

"It's okay," Tai nodded. "I think Shadow and I should explain now."

"Explain what?" Night questioned, hopping up and landing lightly on my shoulder.

"It's about two people and their dragon partners," Shadow began, climbing onto Tai's shoulder.

"My parents told me of a prophecy when I was younger, shortly after I had found Shadow. The prophecy spoke of two partnered pairs consisting of two humans and their dragon partners," Tai explained. "These four have to stop an evil force that's using darkness to try and disrupt the balance of the world and destroy it."

"And how does this involve us? I'm sure there's plenty of other people with dragons," I asked, quirking a brow at him.

"Actually, there's not," Shadow admitted. "We've looked into it, but there's no one else with a dragon. You're the only ones we've met."

"But…how? We've had nothing but trouble for the past three years, so why us?" Night wondered aloud.

"What do you mean?" Tai asked, his expression worried. He's already worried about us, yet he barely knows us. I might as well come clean…

"When I found Night, I brought him home and showed my parents, but they believe that silver dragons are a bad omen, so they tried to make me get rid of him," I began, sighing heavily as I sat down. Night wrapped his tail loosely around my other shoulder, nuzzling my neck soothingly. I gave him a small smile before continuing. "I refused to, so they kicked me out. I packed up what I could, and then we resorted to stealing from various places around different towns and cities, just trying to scrape by. Once we became master thieves, which took about a year, we moved here to the forest, making our home here and stealing from travelers that passed through. Over the past two years, we've accumulated quite a lot of money, and we sell some of the treasures that we steal, using that money to buy any goods we needed to survive, such as blankets, treats, and the like. My parents never came and looked for me, but it's not like I care. And that's our story." Tai and Shadow were quiet for a while, and then Tai crawled over and gave me a hug when Shadow and Night hopped off our shoulders.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. I shivered lightly from the sensation, feeling butterflies flutter in my stomach. Fortunately, the brunette mistook the action as me feeling cold, and he brought me closer to the fire.

"It's okay. I'm not bothered by my parents' decision, to be honest," I admitted. "I was planning on leaving when I turned 16 anyway, so the day just came sooner than planned."

"Still, I can't believe that," Tai muttered. Then he seemed to realize something. "So, where's your stuff? You said you have goods and money?"

"Yeah, we do. But who said we're going with you?" I smirked.

"What? But, we need to travel together! And I don't want to just leave you here!" the boy protested.

"I was just teasing you, man," I laughed, reaching over and ruffling his crazy hair. He pouted, making me snicker.

"So you'll be joining us?" Shadow asked.

"Yes, we will," Night nodded, and I mumbled agreement.

"Then in that case…" Tai pulled the pendant I had stolen from before out of his pocket and handed it to me.

"But it's yours. Why are you giving it to me?" I questioned, eyeing him curiously.

"My dad told me to give it to the other person with a dragon," he replied simply. "It means friendship, like how mine means courage." The brunette fished out a pendant I hadn't seen before from under his shirt and showed it to me. It resembled the sun, and it seemed to glow in response to being near me.

"Why's it glowing?" I wondered.

"No idea. Yours started glowing right before you stole it earlier," he shrugged. I flushed, slightly embarrassed about the incident, and rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. I genuinely felt bad now, which was odd. I never felt guilty about stealing before, so why now? Maybe because I actually had held a conversation with this guy instead of fleeing like I normally do. Yeah, that's probably all it is.

"Hey guys, the rabbits are fully cooked," Shadow announced, and Night stood to pull one out from the fire. "Aren't you gonna grab a second for Matt?" the black dragon asked his silver lookalike, but Night shook his head.

"We don't each much," I answered for my partner. "We usually share our food, but we eat more in the colder seasons. Kinda just to try and make sure we don't starve out here."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that with us," Tai assured us. "Shadow's a great hunter, and he'll keep us fed."

"Can't you hunt at all?" I smirked.

"Yes, but Shadow's faster at it," the brunette replied validly. He was right; our dragons are swift hunters, and they were probably the most dangerous predators out there. They had to be, though, or else they would be killed much too quickly. "So, Matt," Tai began around a mouthful of rabbit. "How much do you have stocked up?"

"Let's just say a lot for now," I answered, taking a bite of the rabbit Night had grabbed. At his skeptical look, I sighed. I need to be honest with him, or else we'll never get along. Yeah, I'm certainly suspicious, but the fact that he has Shadow kinda hits it home. "Okay, fine. Night and I have at least 13 grand saved up in our trove, plus some pretty decent supplies. We can stop by there in the morning and pick some of it up."

"Some? Why not as much as you can? Wouldn't you want to prevent someone from stealing it?" Tai asked, his expression puzzled.

"We cast spells on it for while we're gone, and then dismiss them while we're there," I informed him. "It's not too difficult. We'll go early in the morning, though, or else we may get caught. Night and I are known thieves, and we can't afford to be caught."

"Do you guys even get seen?" Shadow questioned curiously.

"No, but they know we exist. They don't know who we are or what we look like, they just know there are thieves in this forest," Night muttered.

"Then there shouldn't be any issues with you two coming to towns with us," the brunette declared. "If they don't know your names or what you look like, then it's okay."

"…Fine. Just don't risk your necks if people try and attack us for anything," I advised.

"What do you mean?" the black dragon asked.

"We've been to towns before and caused a little trouble here and there," Night smirked.

"What kind of trouble?" Tai tilted his head in confusion.

"Are we playing 20 questions here or something?" I chuckled. "Look, we've just pissed a few people off, mainly bar owners for getting in fights. Other men have tried to hit on me, but when we fight them off, _we're_ the ones that get kicked out, not the pervs."

"That sucks," Shadow commented, finishing off his rabbit. Tai opened his mouth as if to say something, but his partner shut him up with a flick to the forehead. "We'll talk more in the morning. It's late, and we all need sleep."

"Not me. I'll keep watch," Night declared, and teleported up to a tree branch.

"Why—" Tai started to say, but shut up when Shadow glared at him. I cast the black dragon a grateful look before bidding the pair goodnight and climbing up the tree to join Night.

"Goodnight, partner," I whispered to him, scratching between his wings a little and making him purr slightly.

"Goodnight, Yamato," he murmured, and I leaned back against the trunk, closing my eyes and falling asleep.

A/N: And that's chapter 2! Let me know if you have any questions, k? Kay. R&R, peeps!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Another chapter, wee! Also, I'm gonna stick with Matt's POV from here on out. I'll switch to Tai in a later chapter, but only for a brief portion. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story, Shadow, & Night.

Dragon Spirit

Chapter 3

I was woken early the next morning by Night, who was gently shaking my shoulder so as not to make me tumble out of the tree. I blinked my blue eyes open to look at him, and then noticed a faint blue glow coming from my neck. Glancing down, I realized it was the pendant Tai had given me last night.

"Friendship, huh?" I murmured, and looked at Night.

"Sleep well?" he smirked.

"Surprisingly, yes," I replied. "Why?"

"Because you were mumbling Taichi's name in your sleep," he grinned. I gaped at him.

"Seriously?!" I gasped. He nodded with a cheeky grin.

"Almost woke him up, too," the silver dragon chuckled. I scowled at my partner.

"Just don't say anything to him or Shadow about it, dumbass," I grumbled. "I don't need this, I really don't."

"No worries, Yamato. I was just giving you grief," Night smirked. "I'll stop for now, though."

"Damn right you will," I growled, and then slung my legs over the edge of the branch I had slept on. "Come on, let's get the other two up. We need to swing by our soon-to-be-vacated home before anyone else discovers it."

"True," he nodded, and copied me, dropping out of the tree to land beside me. I went inside the tent Tai was in, shaking his shoulder with one hand.

"Tai, wake up. We need to go soon," I said, and he mumbled something unintelligible before rolling over with his back to me and going back to sleep. Annoyed, I hollered, "WAKE UP!" in his ear.

"WAAAHH!" he wailed, bolting upright and looking about wildly. When he finally registered there was no danger, though, he gave me a sheepish look. "Sorry…"

"It's fine, just learn to be a lighter sleeper," I advised. A sudden indignant yelp had us look outside at our partners. Night was pointing and laughing at Shadow, who was wet and scowling at the silver dragon for some reason. "Night, what did you do?" I sighed.

"Nothing!" he said too quickly, attempting to look innocent.

"Nothing my ass," I scoffed.

"He soaked me with a water ball!" Shadow snapped, glowering at my friend.

"Night, I know you like to cause trouble, but that was stupid," I told him. "Apologize."

"Fine… Sorry for soaking you," Night mumbled, looking slightly ashamed of his actions.

"It's fine, just wake me up in a kinder manner next time," Shadow replied, using some of his fire magic to dry himself off.

"So, when are we heading out?" I asked Tai, looking back at him as he crawled out from his tent. "'Cause I'm ready when you are."

"Oh, I'll be ready soon, I just need to pack up my stuff," he grinned. He slid back into his tent and changed, emerging in a clean set of clothes when he was done. Shadow buried the ashes from the fire pit from last night while Night and I waited patiently against a tree trunk for the pair to finish getting ready. I was about ready to fish out my harmonica from my small pack when I heard Tai. "Okay, all set to go!" I looked with Night and saw the pair together, Shadow as a black horse and Tai riding on his back.

"You're gonna travel like that?" I criticized. Upon seeing their confused looks, I rubbed Night's head and told him, "Show 'em."

The silver dragon quickly climbed down from my shoulder and shifted from his normal 1 ½ feet tall to 13 feet tall, his appearance shifting as well to become more like an eastern dragon. His neck became longer, his muzzle becoming more slender, and his wings became larger to accommodate his larger size. His eyes became reptilian ones, keeping the silver as the whites of his eyes, and gaining black, fang-shaped pupils. When he finished shifting, I climbed onto his back, sitting close to the back of his neck and in front of his wings.

"And this is how we travel," I smirked, and Night leapt up into the sky, opening his wings and gliding in a spiral until he landed lightly in the clearing. "Haven't you ever tried it?" I asked.

"To be honest, we haven't," Tai admitted, flushing with embarrassment. "I've been so concerned with people discovering Shadow's a dragon outside of my hometown that I didn't want to risk it."

"Well, don't worry about it while in the air," Night said. "We're too high up for anyone to identify or even see us."

"True enough," Shadow agreed. "And Night and I have such great vision that we can see where we're able to land before being spotted."

"We can't travel by air to our stash, though, because we'll have to stay close to the ground or else we won't be able to land safely," I added. "So for now, we'll travel by foot." Night shifted into a silver horse beneath me, and I led the way to Night and my stash.

"So, how far out there is this place, Matt?" Tai asked as we traveled.

"Not too far," I answered. "It's near the cliffs, but it's hidden."

"How so?"

"I cast a spell on it to disguise it as part of the cliff face. Even if someone leans on it, they won't know it's there because of the barrier," I explained.

"Wait, you know magic?" the brunette gasped.

"Yeah, I had Night teach me a bit after I had an incident that revealed I could use magic," I answered.

"Do you think you could teach me?" he questioned eagerly, his brown eyes shining.

"Only if you have the capability," I chuckled. "I don't know if you can, is all. We'll try later tonight once we've set up camp."

"Awesome," Tai grinned. Out of nowhere, an explosion rang out in the forest, sounding from the cliffs.

"Fuck!" I swore, and Night galloped onward, streaking to the cliffs. Tai and Shadow soon caught up, and the brunette looked at me worriedly.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

"Did you not hear that explosion?!" I snapped. "It came from the cliffs! Some fucking idiots must have discovered there was a spell blocking a portion of it and decided to blow up the area until the spell breaks!"

"What are we gonna do?" Shadow asked as he galloped alongside us. My expression hardened.

"We'll have to kill them all," Night answered for me. Tai gasped.

"What?! We can't kill them! We'll be in deep shit if we do!" he protested.

"We can't have them reporting back to whoever their boss is, or else more people will come!" I growled. "Have any other bright ideas?"

"What about taking as much as you can and leaving anything worthless behind?" he suggested. Thinking on it, I realized I could pull it off.

"Okay, but we'll need to stop before we reach the cliffs. This is gonna take a little magic," I agreed. Our new traveling companions nodded, and we slowed down about a quarter of a mile before the cliffs. Once we stopped, I climbed off Night's back and reached around to my pack. Muttering a few words, I cast an expansion spell on it, allowing it to hold whatever I needed to and more.

"What was that spell?" Shadow asked.

"An expansion one," Night replied. "He expanded his pack to hold everything we need from our stash."

"Good idea," Tai nodded. We had Shadow and Night shift back to their dragon forms, and then we approached the edge of the forest before the cliffs. I glared heavily as we watched several people, including some miners, set up the dynamite for another explosion. Night growled quietly, and I silently climbed up a tree, thinking about the best way to clear them out without any casualties. There wasn't any way to avoid fighting, so we might as well fight them out of there. I relayed my plan to Tai and Shadow, and they looked upset, but agreed. Once that was settled, I pulled my cloth mask out from my pack and put it on, concealing my mouth and nose, and then handed one to Tai.

"What's this for?" he whispered.

"So they don't recognize you if we encounter them later on," I answered, pulling my hood from my shirt over my blonde hair. It was a hooded shirt I always wore, and I was grateful I had it right now. "Cover your hair somehow," I advised the brunette. "Otherwise you'll be recognized later, too." He nodded and pulled a helmet out from his own pack, slipping it on and completely covering his face and hair. I took back the second cloth mask when he handed it to me, and then we stood from where we hid. He drew out his katana blade whereas I slid out my two katana blades from their sheaths on my back.

"You have two?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yeah. I kinda need them for these situations," I replied, and then darted out with Night close behind me.

He had shifted into a black and silver striped tiger, and charged ahead of us with Shadow as a black panther tailing him. Tai caught up to me, and we raced at the men near the cave. The men noticed Shadow and Night first, and tried to shoot them with their pistols, but the large wildcats dodged with ease. I dove to the side as one thrust his sword at me, and then hacked his left foot off, landing gracefully. The man screamed in agony, and I smirked.

"Look out!" Taichi's voice shouted, and I ducked just in time to avoid a gunshot from behind me. Night batted the gun away, snarling, and then roared at the men with Shadow, terrifying the rest of them. Their leader, however, wasn't so easy to scare off. He whipped his sword out, pointing it at us, and then rushed forward. I was swift to retaliate when he got close enough, blocking with one katana and swiping the other at his side. He blocked with a second sword, distracting me and then slashing at me with the first when he drew back. I stumbled back when I tried to get away, bracing myself for my early death, but then I heard a clang, and looked up, wide-eyed.

"You okay?" Tai gritted out as he held back the leader.

"Yeah," I nodded, and quickly got to my feet. Together, we attacked, slashing and hacking at the bastard, who was much tougher than I'd originally thought. Eventually, the man was dead, collapsed on the ground and bleeding profusely from the multitude of cuts and gashes on him we had made. Finally, we turned to each other, panting. "Thanks," I murmured gratefully.

"Don't worry about it," Tai grinned. "It's what friends do, right?"

"Yeah, they do," I agreed, though in the back of my mind, I thought, _'We're already friends?'_

"Yamato, you're okay, right?" Night asked worriedly as he and Shadow approached, already back in their dragon forms. I glared at him, and he snorted. "Don't worry, there's no one else around. Shadow and I already checked."

"I'm fine, thanks to Tai," I assured my partner. He smirked, and I immediately gave him an icy cold glare, warning him to not say anything. I noticed Shadow grinning at Tai, and the brunette was glowering at the small black dragon. "Anyway, let's go and get our stuff, Night."

"Coming," he nodded, and Taichi and Shadow quickly hurried after us. When we reached the right spot, I released the barrier, stepping inside and disappearing into the cave that appeared. As we walked, I lowered my hood and cloth mask while Tai remove his helmet. Night was on my shoulder, holding out an orb of light to illuminate the path before us. Shadow perched on Tai's shoulder, too, holding out his own orb of light as well. After a few minutes had passed, the brunette spoke up.

"How much farther?" he whined.

"Not much," I replied patiently. "It's just up ahead." I gestured ahead, pointing out a faint glow at the end, where Night and my treasure resided. Once we got there, Tai and Shadow gasped in awe at the large piles of gold, silver, jewels, and various other treasures inside.

"This is all stuff you two stole?!" Shadow yelped.

"Not all of it. Some of the gold is from selling stolen items and from when we worked shortly after being kicked out," Night answered. "We got small, odd jobs here and there, but it wasn't enough to keep us alive. So we decided to resort to stealing in order to survive." He kept the extra information to himself, something I was grateful for.

"Damn, I'm sorry…" the black dragon murmured. "I didn't realize that you guys would have tried an honest living, but had no choice but to steal."

"That's just us, though," I said, beginning to pack up the gold. "Most thieves just enjoy stealing for the hell of it. We only steal to survive. All of this gold is for the winter."

"You go through this much gold in the wintertime?" Tai questioned suspiciously.

"Not quite, but the remaining gold is used to buy supplies for the spring and summer," I explained. "And whatever we end up stealing through the winter, we sell. Unless it's gold, of course."

"Makes sense," the brunette nodded in understanding. He crouched next to me, beginning to scoop up gold and dumping it into my pack. We eventually packed all of the valuables into my pack, leaving behind some tattered old blankets and bedding to show there was nothing of value left here.

"All done," I sighed, throwing the bag on my back. Once my arms were through the straps, I looked back at the entrance to the cavern. Night perked up, though, growling, when he heard something. "What's up?"

"Those miners are back, and they brought reinforcements," he spat, and I cursed under my breath.

"What are we gonna do?" Taichi asked worriedly.

"We'll have to break through the cliff face, and then fly away," I grumbled. "I don't want to have to fight them off again."

"How the hell are we supposed to break through solid rock?!" he demanded in a panic.

"Calm down, Shadow and Night can shift into their larger forms and break through it with ease," I answered calmly.

"But, I've never flown with Taichi before," Shadow protested.

"It's cool, just copy me," Night suggested to him.

Glancing at my partner, I pulled my hood and mask up and on again, as he shifted, becoming his 13-foot-tall self again. Shadow copied him, becoming a replica of Night, only with black armor, and having white instead of silver around his fang-shaped pupils. Tai scrambled onto Shadow's back while I climbed onto Night's with ease, and then the two dragons charged up an attack to blast open the back of the cave. Once the dust had cleared a bit, our partners shot through the opening, out into the open sky. I noticed Shadow struggle slightly to catch up, as though he hadn't flown in a while.

"Use you wind magic to propel you!" my silver partner shouted to Shadow, and the black dragon nodded before taking Night's advice, shooting past us.

"Let's hurry," I said to Night urgently, and he nodded before gliding ahead of Tai and Shadow, guiding them to a safe place a few miles from the cliffs. We'd had to wheel around in a wide circle to get there so the miners wouldn't spot us, but it worked out. Night landed gracefully, whereas Shadow landed with a thud, and Tai and I slid off of our respective partners' backs.

"That wasn't too bad," Tai grinned as our partners shrunk back down to their normal sizes.

"No, but things will probably get worse from here on out," I muttered darkly.

"What do you mean by that?" the brunette frowned.

"I mean that you're going to be travelling with a pair of criminals," I explained. "You're probably gonna get more trouble attracted to you than if you were to travel alone."

"I don't care," he shrugged, and I stared at him.

"You…don't mind being a trouble magnet?" I asked doubtfully, quirking a brow at him.

"Nope. True friends stick together, through thick and thin, no matter what," he smiled.

"Well, hopefully you'll learn quickly that you'll have to fight and kill often while you're with me," I mumbled, turning away. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and I looked back at him.

"Don't worry about us. Shadow and I tend to learn the hard way, but seeing as he's a natural predator, he won't have much of an issue with it. As for me, I'll try and learn quickly," he assured me.

"Fine, just…don't fail," I sighed, not knowing what else to say.

"I won't," he promised, and we looked at the sun, which by now was already setting.

"Let's set up camp," Shadow suggested, and we all nodded.

While Tai and I set up the tent and a fire pit, Shadow and Night left to go hunting. Once they were gone, I shivered lightly from the chill of the evening air, and Tai noticed.

"Cold?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Duh," I snorted. "Let me just set up the fire pit and light the fire, and I'll be fine."

"Don't you need Night or Shadow to light it, though?" he asked, confused.

"Not really," I murmured, piling some dry branches and grass into the circle of rocks. I summoned a small blue ball of fire to my palm and then tossed it into the pile, igniting the dry material immediately.

"Whoa! That's cool! But why was the fire blue?" Tai said curiously.

"Because it reflects my best element, ice," I replied.

"What else can you control?" he demanded eagerly, leaning towards me.

"I can control fire, ice, and lightning," I smirked, knowing he was impressed by my skills.

"Awesome! Can you teach me?" he questioned, his eyes shining eagerly.

"Maybe, but we'll try tomorrow in a clearing," I shrugged.

"Awwww, but you said we could tonight!" he whined.

"Yes, but it's late, and we need to eat and sleep after that fight today," I reminded him coolly.

"Fine…" he grumbled, folding his arms and pouting. Rolling my eyes, I switched my gaze to the stars. _'Hopefully we'll figure out where to go from here soon…'_ I thought, leaning back against a tree trunk. _'That way we're not stumbling our way around this whole 'prophecy' thing.'_

A/N: Sorry about the delay, I've just been studying my ass off for my finals! Wish me luck! R&R, peeps!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Now for an update! I'm so relieved, because my finals are over! Also, I'm borrowing two characters from another game, so please just bear with me. They'll only be here in this chapter, so no other chapters will have them. Guess the game they're from, and I'll give you a cookie! First one to guess correctly gets a plushie of Matt and Tai! Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Shadow, Night, & the story.

Dragon Spirit

Chapter 4

I woke up early the next morning with a crick in my neck from lying against the tree in an awkward position. Yawning, I looked about, and noticed that Taichi was fast asleep in his tent. That's when I noticed Night and Shadow lying together in a tree hollow to keep warm. Smiling softly, I gazed at the early morning sunrise, feeling calm and at peace with the world for once. It wasn't always this way, though.

Back when I was kicked out of my old home, I had tried to make an honest living with Night for a few months, but like we had told Taichi and Shadow, it hadn't worked out. That's when I had made the tough decision to sell myself for a living so we could survive. Yeah, that's right, I became a kind of male prostitute for a year. I had lied to Shadow and Tai about my timing with things, and in reality, it only took Night and me six months to master thieving, and we've been living here in the forest for only a year. People would pay my boss, and they would have me for the night for a certain amount of time, depending on the amount they paid. I never got out of it unscathed. I always ended up bruised and scratched, but my boss was kind enough to help me bandage my injuries. He paid me extra, too, compared to the others, due to my circumstances. When I eventually decided to leave, it was because I wasn't going to allow myself to be used anymore, especially after a certain returning client who had taken a particular interest in me. My boss understood, and even wished me luck before I left. Sometimes I would even visit him, but it's been a few months since I've last seen him. I was long overdue to see him, but I didn't want to be caught by Tai or Shadow.

Nodding to myself, I decided to slip out of the campsite for a bit and go to town and visit my old boss. I would need Night's help, though, so I could get there fast and return quickly. I approached the two sleeping dragons and carefully woke Night.

"What's up, Yamato?" he yawned.

"I want to visit the old boss man before Tai notices I'm gone," I told him. "We haven't seen him in a while, and I think a visit is long overdue. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," the silver dragon smiled. "I'll just tell Shadow to let Taichi know that we'll be back in case we're not back in time."

"Okay, just please make sure that he doesn't tell Tai why," I said, and my partner nodded before gently waking his black lookalike. While Night told Shadow what we were doing without going into details, I grabbed my pack and swords, slipping the blades into their sheaths, and then hiding them in my pack. Didn't want to draw too much attention, after all. I kept my dagger strapped to my boot, though, just in case.

"Ready to go, Yamato?" Night asked as he approached. Shadow was giving me a semi-knowing look, but there was some curiosity it his gaze, too.

"Yeah," I nodded, and then Night grew in size to his larger self, and I climbed smoothly onto his back before my partner silently took to the skies. As we flew, Night piped up with a question.

"When are you going to tell Taichi the truth?" he asked.

"About me selling myself for a living? Not anytime soon," I snorted.

"Come on, Yamato, he won't hate you for it, he'll—"

"Pity me," I interrupted.

"No, I was going to say he'll understand your reasons," the silver dragon corrected.

"Look, Night, you know as well as I do that I hated doing it, but at the time, it was the only thing I could do to get by for both of us," I pointed out. "Especially seeing as you technically can't get a job."

"Whatever," my partner scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Just be glad I'm doing this for you."

"Why wouldn't you?" I smirked.

"…Valid point," he muttered. Eventually, we arrived at the edge of the town where my boss lived. Night began his descent, and landed in the forest near town, shrinking down to his original size and crawling into my pack so no one would see him. I then began to sneak through town, making my way to my boss's home. When we arrived, I knocked on the door in my signature fashion that I used to when I had visited him in the past, and heard his voice.

"Coming!" he called. As soon as the door opened, he yanked me inside, hugging me tightly as soon as the door shut behind us. "Oh, Yamato! It's been too long!"

"Heya Joshua," I smiled when he let me breathe. I looked him over, the ashen blonde young man grinning at me, overjoyed to see me again. Joshua was only 21, which was surprising, but it made sense that his business was so successful because he had inherited it from his father. He'd only been running it for three years, but business had boomed since he'd taken over when his father died. The young man had ashen blonde hair that fell in slight curls to his shoulders, violet eyes, and a pale complexion, and wore a pale blue, button-up shirt, a pair of dark, flared jeans that showed off his hips, and a pair of white sneakers. "You haven't changed a bit. A bit taller, but you're still the same."

"Same goes for you," my old friend stated with a fond smile. "So, what brings you here?"

"I wanted to visit you again," I chuckled. "Is that such a crime?"

"No, but you usually have something you need from me when you visit," he smirked.

"Not this time," I assured him as Night crawled out of my pack.

"Good to see you, too, Night," Joshua greeted my partner, stroking the top of his head. Looking at me, he asked, "Want some coffee? It just finished, and Neku should be down soon, too."

"Ah, you're still dating him?" I questioned. "And sure."

"Yes, I'm still madly in love with my Nekky," he giggled, making me laugh. "Speaking of love, have you finally met someone who's caught your eye yet?"

"No, but I'm starting to travel with someone," I answered. Joshua perked up at this, and then grinned widely.

"Come into the dining room, I'll get some coffee for us, and I'll wake up Neku. He'll be happy to see you again," the ashen blonde ordered.

"Yes, sir," I laughed lightly, and sat down at the table in the dining room, waiting patiently for the pair of lovers to join me.

"Neku! Company!" Joshua called upstairs, and quickly went up there with a cup of coffee. Suddenly, there was a yelp and shout of, "Yamato?!" and then Neku ran down the stairs, Joshua trailing after him with a shirt in his hand. And I could see why; Neku had slept without a shirt, and didn't put one on before coming down. The young man with spiky, ginger hair and blue eyes wearing nothing but a pair of navy blue sleep pants ran into the dining room and stared at me, wide-eyed, for a split second before he hugged me tightly.

"Holy shit! Yamato, it's been way too long!" he said.

"Can't…breathe…Neku…" I wheezed, and he let me go with a sheepish look.

"Sorry, man, but it's been a few months since we've seen you guys," he chuckled. "What have you two been up to lately?"

"Actually, Nekky, they were going to tell us, so sit down with your coffee, and they'll share," Joshua told him, and handed him the shirt.

"Gotcha," Neku nodded, and sat down at the table when his shirt was on. Once Joshua had joined us with his own cup of coffee and another for me, I began my story. I explained everything that had happened before meeting Tai, and then launched into that explanation. When I finished, Joshua was giving me a knowing look, while Neku was smirking.

"What's with the looks?" I asked warily.

"It just seems like you already like him, and as more than a friend," Joshua giggled. "And he sounds like a good guy. Caring, kind, trusting and trustworthy, and concerned about others, not just himself."

"What? But I can't!" I protested.

"And why not?" Neku questioned, quirking a brow at me.

"Because of my past!" I snapped, frustrated.

"Yamato, you can't let your past rule your future," the ginger told me wisely. "Just because you had some bad experiences and choices in the past, doesn't mean Taichi will hate you. Who knows? Maybe he'll feel the same."

"Actually, Yamato did keep saying Taichi's name in his sleep the other night," Night chimed in, giving me a sly look.

"_Night!_" I hissed, irritated that he shared that piece of information.

"Well, it certainly sounds like you like him as more than a friend," Neku chuckled.

"Ugh, there's no hiding anything from you two, is there?" I sighed.

"Nope, not at all," the ashen blonde snickered.

"So, how are you gonna tell him?" the ginger asked.

"I'm not gonna," I shrugged.

"Yamato! You can't keep something like that inside for your whole life, you know! It's just gonna eat at you until you do," Joshua growled sternly. "Have I taught you nothing while you worked for me?"

"Of course you have, Josh," I assured my old boss. "I just don't know if I'm ready…"

"All in due time, Yamato," he promised. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll adjust quickly. You've always been a fast learner."

"Do you plan on telling Taichi about your past with us?" Neku questioned out of nowhere.

"Um…unless he asks, I don't plan on it," I mumbled.

"Don't clam up on us now, kiddo," the ginger ordered, giving me a firm look. "You know I hate seeing you become introverted again, especially around us. We're your friends, after all, and always will be."

"True," I agreed, nodding. "You two have been the best support I've had besides Night in my whole life."

"Good to know," Joshua giggled. Suddenly, Neku stood, looking outside at the rising sun.

"You'd better get going, before Taichi notices you two are gone," he advised. Night gave a soft whimper, not wanting to leave, but know we had to.

"Damn, you're right," I muttered. I stood up, too, and gathered Night into my pack. Once he was inside, I fastened it and carefully slung it onto my back. Joshua and Neku saw me out, and we hugged briefly before I left.

"Try and visit again soon, okay?" Joshua said, and I nodded.

"No promises, but I'll try," I smiled, and then we left to an alley to take flight back to the clearing. When we arrived, I noticed Tai was awake and look in the skies at us, his expression worried. Once Night was safely on the ground and I had climbed off his back, my partner shrunk back down to his normal size and we turned to face an irritated Tai and a nervous Shadow.

"Where the hell did you two go?!" the brunette demanded. "All Shadow told me was that you needed to see someone, and that you would be back soon! I was worried sick when you guys weren't back shortly after I got up!"

"Okay, first off, it's none of your business," I growled. "Second, Shadow shouldn't have told you what we were doing, and third, we weren't gone that long!"

"You're my friend, Matt! Of course I'd be worried! I'd like to know, just so I can trust you!" he snapped. I blinked, the anger and annoyance in me fizzling out. He was right, and I needed to show he could trust me, especially on this journey. Joshua was right; Taichi certainly is caring, kind, and concerned about everyone but himself.

Sighing, I muttered, "Fine, I'll tell you. Just don't judge me for it afterwards, okay?"

"What do you mean?" Shadow inquired as Night stared at me, shocked.

"Night, don't look at me like that," I chided. "They need to know eventually. And as for you, Shadow and Tai, just listen to what we have to say." They nodded compliantly, and we sat down around the empty fire pit.

"Okay, so, you know how we told you guys we tried to make an honest living, and then resorted to thieving a year later?" I began. The pair nodded, and I sighed. "Well, we fibbed. We only tried for six months to make an honest living, but when that wasn't bringing enough money in, I made the tough decision to…sell myself…for a living." Tai gasped, but I held up my hand, signaling that I had more to say.

"I did this for a year, and my boss, Joshua, was more than kind to me," I continued. "He would pay me extra every night I worked, and protected me from unfair customers. If I got hurt on the job, he would help bandage me up and tend to my injuries. He even let me live with him and his boyfriend, Neku. Eventually, it became too much for me, especially after a certain client that had taken interest in me, and I couldn't handle it anymore. Joshua understood, and I left here to the forest with Night, where we became master thieves in only six months. We've lived here for the past year and a half, stealing, but sometimes we've gone to visit them. They always love to see us, and enjoy having us visit. And that's where we were this morning, visiting Joshua and Neku. That's everything."

Tai was silent for a long time, his thoughtful chocolate gaze on me, as Shadow watched him with an equally thoughtful look. After a few minutes, where I was getting more and more stressed and nervous with each passing second, he spoke.

"I don't think any less of you, Matt, in case that's what you're thinking," the brunette finally murmured. "I understand why you did it, and I don't think any different about you. Sure, I'm a little disappointed that you lied to us, but I understand."

"Well, it's not exactly a pleasant table topic," I muttered bitterly, glaring at the fire pit. "And I don't exactly open up to people easily."

"Coulda fooled me," Tai chuckled. I gave him a puzzled look, and he said, "You opened up to me by telling me about your past, and we've only known each other for three days now." I was briefly reminded of how Joshua had told me that Tai was trusting and trustworthy, and I grudgingly found I had to agree with that remark.

"Maybe it's just that you're different from the other people we've met," I shrugged. "Joshua and Neku are our closest friends, but we've got other people we're connected to for things."

"Like who?" Shadow questioned.

"Just connections for supplies and trading," Night replied. "Kinda a black market sorta thing, if you want to call it that. Thing is, they're friendly, known about, and only sell illegal items if you do them some favors."

"What kind of things?" the black dragon asked, intrigued.

"There's some things that are incredibly rare, like phoenix feathers and unicorn meat, that they'll charge you in doing favors for them," my partner explained. "For us, we were always asked to steal something for payment, and we always succeeded."

"Wait, phoenix feathers and unicorn meat?" Tai repeated, confused. "What would you want those for?"

"Phoenix feathers are perfect for warmth, and unicorn meat is incredibly rich and hearty, perfect for stew in the winter," I answered. "But anyway, we've kept connections, and we know some people in town all over the place."

"Do you know anyone who could possibly tell us more about the prophecy?" he wondered aloud.

"Maybe," I shrugged. "I have an idea as to who, but we'll have to leave for town early tomorrow morning to meet with her."

"'Her'?" Shadow uttered skeptically.

"Yes, her name is Sora, and she's a kind girl who's Yamato's age who can point us in the right direction if she can't give us all of our answers," Night told them. "She supplies us with phoenix feathers in the winter and fall, too."

"Wow, sounds cool," Tai smiled. "Now to figure out what we're gonna do today while we're here…"

"I could try teaching you a little magic," I suggested.

"Sounds great!" he grinned, hopping up from where he sat. As Night went and sat with Shadow, I heard him whisper, "Where does the boy get his energy…?"

"No idea. He's always been like that, according to his mother," the black dragon sighed. I snickered at their remarks; it certainly seems like Taichi.

"What are you laughing at?" the brunette asked, confused.

"Just at how Night was wondering where you get all of your energy from," I replied with a smirk. "And Shadow said that you've always been like that, according to your mother."

"Shadow!" Tai whined, blushing an embarrassed shade of red. "Why'd you have to go and say that?!"

"Hey, I only speak the truth," his partner shrugged.

"Well here's some truth for ya: you don't get to have any of my sweet bread tonight now since you shared that!" he declared, and Shadow glared at him playfully.

"Please, you know you can't hold up against 'the look'," he pointed out.

"You wouldn't dare," Taichi growled.

"Oh, I would," Shadow smirked. Night and I sighed and rolled our eyes, both of us smiling at their antics. Suddenly, the pair seemed to realize they were being watched as they argued, and each gave us sheepish grins.

"Sorry about that, guys," Tai apologized. "He wasn't supposed to share that about me, hehe…"

"Don't worry about it. I know the feeling," I assured him with a meaningful look at my partner. He managed to give me a small grin before looking at Shadow.

"How about we go hunting while these two try out some magic?" he suggested, and Shadow nodded.

"Okay," he agreed, and the two dragons left into the forest's depths. Once they were gone, I looked back to Taichi.

"All right, where to start…" I murmured.

"Actually, I know how you told me about your past, and I want to tell you about mine," he told me.

"But what's there to know? You seem like you had a good life growing up," I said.

"Well, yeah, but I thought you'd like to get to know me more," the brunette shrugged. I nodded in understanding, silently agreeing that I'd like to get closer to him by learning more about him. We sat down across from each other, the fire pit separating us, and I watched him.

"Okay, tell me what you want to," I urged. "What should I know about Taichi Yagami?"

A/N: Sorry about the slight cliffy, but I don't think it's too bad. I'll start the next chapter soon, and the perfect part is that I'm done with finals, and so far, I've passed 2 out of 3 classes! I'll find out the next one in 2 days at the latest, but I'm sure I passed~ R&R, peeps!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I PASSED ALL OF MY CLASSES! So pleased and proud of myself~ Also, the winner of the plushies and cookies is nightdragon 1265! They were the first to correctly guess what game Joshua and Neku are from! Congrats! Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story, Shadow, & Night.

Dragon Spirit

Chapter 5

"Where to start?" Tai wondered aloud to himself. "Well, I grew up in the town near we met. I never left until Shadow and I began our journey, and even then we decided to take things slowly. Anyway, I'm an only child, but I had a lot of friends in my hometown. First, there's Izzy, a smart kid who is always researching things. He's always carrying around his laptop computer. Then there's Joe, and he's been learning how to be a doctor since he was 13, shortly after I found Shadow. Next is Mimi, Izzy's girlfriend, and she's a shopping addict, I swear! And she adores pink. Finally, there's Kari, my best friend from when we were kids. She's the kindest, most pure-hearted person you could ever meet, and she always tries to see the good in people.

"They were very accepting and supportive of Shadow and my decision to go on our adventure, and Kari even pulled me aside later and told me that she had a feeling this day would come, where I would have to fight darkness with the other dragon and their partner. My mom and dad were the most supportive, though. Even though it's going to be dangerous, they're confident in Shadow and me, and know that I'll make the right decisions. Of course they'll worry about me, but that just means they love me and that they care."

"Never got that feeling from my parents," I sighed. "They barely remembered to feed me, and I was always lucky whenever they were hung over. They would sleep through the rest of the day, and then drink again to try and rid themselves of the headaches, so the cycle would repeat itself. I would have to steal money from their wallets to buy food for myself. Fortunately, they were always too drunk to notice. Sure, they occasionally beat me while they were drunk, but I didn't want to leave until I was ready. I at least had a roof over my head and was guaranteed a warm and dry place to live. When they kicked me out, I deemed myself ready. The morning that I had found Night was, ironically, one of the good days that they wouldn't drink, and yet they still kicked me out." I gave a humorless laugh.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Matt," Tai murmured. "I never would have thought, just looking at you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You just don't look like someone who's had a hard past, that's all," he replied calmly. "You don't behave like someone who's gone through so much, and it's like you don't let it affect you."

"That's exactly it," I shrugged. "I don't let it affect me."

"It's not that simple to let go, though, is it?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly.

"No, but Joshua and Neku have helped me, somewhat," I mumbled, remembering all the nightmares I had suffered shortly after leaving to the forest. They always had to do with that job of being a male prostitute.

"'Somewhat?'" he repeated, his tone suspicious.

"Well, I've…had some nightmares," I admitted in a soft voice. Tai stared at me for a few seconds before crawling over and hugging me.

"I'm so sorry, Matt…" he apologized. "Do you want to share my tent tonight? Maybe it'll help with the nightmares." I thought about it for a bit, uncertain. If I did, it would likely prevent the nightmares, but it would also mean my feelings for him would become difficult to handle. Yet if I didn't, it would mean more nightmares and my feelings would remain the same. I had nothing to lose, so I decided to go for it.

"I think I'll take you up on that," I answered, nodding against his shoulder. He pulled back with a grin on his face.

"Awesome! I'll set up the tent," he declared, hopping to his feet. Taichi began to pitch the tent, and I set up the fire pit, using a small fireball to light it. Once the fire was burning, I watched Tai finish the tent, and then he rejoined me, sitting to my right. "Hey, Matt?" the brunette piped up after a minute.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'd be able to meet Joshua and Neku sometime?" he asked tentatively. "From what you've said, they seem really nice, and I'd like to meet them…"

"I think that can be arranged," I smiled. "I told them about you when I was there this morning, and Joshua seemed to take a shine to you, as did Neku."

"Well that's good to know," Tai grinned. "Cane we go tomorrow morning?"

"As long as you're willing to get up early enough," I smirked. He rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. The action made my heart flutter, and I knew I was definitely developing feelings for the guy. Eventually, Shadow and Night returned around sunset, carrying a deer together.

"What took you two so long?" Taichi questioned.

"We were chatting, that's all, and took our time finding something to eat," Night shrugged. I eyed my partner suspiciously, but he opened the telepathic communication between us.

'_I'll tell you later,'_ he thought to me.

'_Tell me now. I won't freak. Much,'_ I thought back. He sighed through the connection.

'_I told Shadow about your feelings for Taichi, and he promised he wouldn't tell,'_ Night mumbled telepathically. I froze, and then glared at him.

'_Why the fuck would you share that?!'_ I demanded. _'That's personal, and should have been kept between us and Joshua and Neku!'_

'_Sorry, Yamato…'_ he apologized. _'I thought Shadow might be able to help, ya know?'_

'_No, I don't know. Please share the details,'_ I growled through the connection.

'_I thought that if I told Shadow, he might be able to give me any clues that Taichi likes you back,'_ the silver dragon explained. I blinked in surprise, and then lowered my gaze, ashamed.

'_Sorry for doubting you, Night…'_ I thought. _'I was just hurt that you would give away my secret that easily.'_

'_Look, Yamato, I'm just trying to help, you should know that,'_ he reminded me. _'After all, I would never go out of my way to hurt you.'_

'_You're right,'_ I nodded, but then noticed Tai and Shadow looking at us funny. _'Let's end this now. We'll talk later, because it looks like Tai and Shadow have caught on that there's something going on here.'_

'_Gotcha,'_ Night smiled. And with that, he ended the connection.

"Sorry about that, guys," I told the watching pair with a slightly sheepish grin. "Night and I were having a private talk."

"How? Through your eyes?" Shadow questioned with a confused expression.

"No, I can communicate telepathically with Yamato," my partner explained. The pair gaped at him, making him shuffle uncomfortably.

"Don't stare," I snapped, noticing Night's discomfort. The other two jumped slightly, and then apologized. Tai rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed at having been caught.

"Eh, it's okay, Yamato. It's not every day that you hear of a telepathic dragon," the silver dragon assured me.

"He's right," Shadow agreed. "I've never even heard of anyone being capable of telepathy."

"It's not a common ability, but there are others who have the capability," I said. I began to go over to the deer to skin it, but then Night darted over and began to skin it himself. He motioned for me to sit at the fire pit, so I did, and fished a blanket out of my pack, wrapping it around my shoulders as I tried to warm up. The sun had set by now, and it was chilly in the night air. I shivered as a cool breeze blew through our small campsite, and huddled into my blanket to seek more warmth.

"Who else do you know that has the ability?" Tai asked.

"I personally don't know anyone, but Joshua has told me that it's not completely unheard of," I replied. "He's heard of other people, like from some old business partners that can use telepathy. So Night isn't the only one."

"That's so cool!" the brunette crowed. "You still need to teach me magic, too, Matt."

"We were going to today, but then you decided that you wanted to chat," I reminded him with a smirk.

"So that's what you two were doing while we were gone," Shadow laughed lightly. "I was surprised to not see any scorch marks on the trees and rocks, and now I know why."

"Hey!" his partner huffed indignantly. "I wouldn't be that bad!"

"I have to agree with Shadow," I chuckled. "You seem to get really overexcited, and fire reacts quickly to strong emotions. I won't be surprised if you can control fire with ease, though."

"Really? Why do you say that?" Tai questioned curiously.

"Because your personality matches that of fire itself," I answered. "You're determined, set on your goals, and won't let anyone stop you from getting there. But you're also kind, caring, and passionate about those close to you."

"Like you," he stated. Upon noticing my perplexed expression, he elaborated. "I care about you. And I know it goes further than just being connected by the prophecy."

"What do you mean?" By this point, I noticed Shadow and Night had stepped away to give us a little bit of privacy.

"I mean that we're close. Already, we've told each other so much about ourselves, and we don't look at the other differently for any of it," he explained. "Friends, true friends, don't judge each other. They care."

"…Right," I nodded, my heart sinking slightly when I realized he only referenced us as friends. I could tell Night sensed it, because he and Shadow rejoined us with fully cooked deer meat.

"I hope you guys are hungry, because that was one big buck," Shadow laughed lightly. I nodded as the black dragon handed a drooling Tai one of the deer legs. Night sat on my left, while Tai was still on my right. Shadow sat in between his partner and his silver counterpart. We ate in silence, but I ended up picking at my deer meat, not really hungry. I barely ate, still hurt by Tai's words. I know he didn't intend to hurt me, but it still hurt. A sudden snap of a branch snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked up quickly along with Night and Shadow, the two dragons growling quietly.

"What's wrong?" Tai asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"There's someone nearby, but I don't recognize the scent," Shadow hissed. Suddenly, Night perked up and ran into the brush, and I caught his look of excitement as he took off. He knew whoever it was, so I should know them, too. I got up and followed my partner into the forest at a slower pace. I was pleasantly shocked when I came face-to-face with Neku only a few yards in.

"Neku?!" I yelped, stepping back to give him some space. The ginger-haired man chuckled at my reaction, and then ruffled my hair.

"Good to see we found ya, kid," he smirked. Joshua joined us then, Night on his heels.

"What are you guys doing here? How'd you find us?" I asked, a grin on my face.

"We'll share once you introduce us to Taichi," the ashen blonde giggled, and I nodded eagerly.

"Sure, come on," I nodded, and led the pair back to the campsite as Night hopped onto my shoulder.

"Matt, what was—" Tai started to say, but stopped when he saw Joshua and Neku. "Who are they?"

"Tai, Shadow, this is Joshua and Neku," I said, gesturing to them in turn as I said their names. "Joshua, remember, is my old boss, and Neku is his boyfriend. Josh, Neku, this is Taichi and his partner, Shadow."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Joshua greeted.

"Yeah, it's good to meet the guy that's softened up the Yamato we knew," Neku smirked.

"And it's good that I get to meet the two people who have been so good to Matt, considering his past," Tai smiled.

"I'm always good to those who need it," my old boss assured him.

"So, how did you guys find us?" I questioned, sitting down where I had been before, next to Tai. The visiting pair sat down across from us, smiling slightly.

"Well, to answer your first question from the forest, we're here to deliver a message from Sora," Joshua told me. "She knows about that prophecy you shared about with us this morning, and she said a sign should come to you all soon regarding it."

"As for how we found you, I used my spirit animal," Neku said. "Remember that fox that lives with us?"

"Yeah, isn't his name Kyuubi?" I nodded.

"Yes, and he helped track you guys down," the ginger confirmed. "Kyuubi is special, in that he's got a connection to the spirit world. That's because he's a spirit animal."

"So, where is Kyuubi?" Night asked from my shoulder, sniffing the air.

"He's nearby, but it's impossible to detect him by tracking, Night," the ashen blonde told my partner. "He's probably confirming with Sora what he needs to tell you, but he'll be here soon." A small yip followed Joshua's words, and we all looked to see a small yellow fox with vivid blue eyes trotting into the campsite.

"Hey Kyuubi," Neku called to the fox, and it quickly made a beeline for him, crawling into his lap and sitting there. "Did you get the rest of the message for them?"

"Yes," Kyuubi nodded. He looked at Tai, Shadow, Night, and me, and then smiled. "It's good to see you again, Night and Yamato."

"Good to see you, too, Kyuubi," Night greeted. "It's been a while since we've seen you. Probably the last time was a year and a half ago, I think."

"That's about right," Kyuubi chuckled. He turned his gaze to Tai and Shadow. "And you must be Taichi Yagami and Shadow, correct?"

"Uh, yeah," Tai nodded.

"How does someone get a spirit animal?" Shadow asked suddenly.

"Going through many tough times, and then turning it all around at the hardest point in your life to make it better, and finally looking ahead to the future once you hit that bright point," Neku answered in a soft voice. I noticed he had a dark feeling to his words as he spoke, and knew that what he had gone through in his life before meeting Joshua must have been much worse than what I'd gone through. I shuddered slightly at the thought; I don't even want to know what happened to Neku when he was younger.

"Anyway, I'd like to pass along the message now," Kyuubi interrupted, casting a look to Neku that I couldn't quite interpret.

"Oh yeah, what was your message?" Tai questioned.

"It's that the prophecy does indeed speak of you four, and the source of the darkness is a malevolent beast of a dragon named Ishu," the fox began. "He has been planning the rule of darkness in the world since the prophecy came into being, about 21 years ago. I was told by the spirits that there's some connection to Shadow and Night with Ishu, other than the fact they are dragons, but even they couldn't reveal that information to me. I have nothing else, though, except that Ishu is located at Doom's Divide."

"Doom's Divide? Where's that?" I asked, puzzled. I had never heard of the place.

"It's the location where heaven and hell meet, and you can only reach it by gaining your true strengths," he replied. "And those will come to you in time during your journey. You will know when you have gained them." I had a theory, so I pulled out my pendant for friendship out from under my shirt, and showed it to Kyuubi.

"Is this the strength you mean?" I questioned, and Kyuubi's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded.

"Yes, that is the strength of friendship," he confirmed. Looking at Tai, he asked, "Do you have your pendant?" The brunette pulled out his pendant.

"Yeah, my dad told me this one means courage," he said.

"Your father is correct," the fox nodded. "That is the strength of courage. You two must gain these attributes through trials greater than you could ever know. I wish you luck in your endeavors, and may the spirits of light watch over you all." And with that, Kyuubi vanished, only a slight shimmer in the air remaining for a second before fading.

"Well, it looks like you four have a long journey ahead of you," Neku sighed. "I'm gonna worry about you all, but I know you guys can do it. Otherwise, things wouldn't be how they are now."

"Neku's right," Joshua agreed. "Now, I know you won't be able to find Doom's Divide until you gain those true attributes, but Sora had told us of a temple where you can train and maybe gain some more information on Ishu."

"That's perfect!" Taichi grinned. "Where's this temple?"

"It's difficult to find, so we'll have to take you there," Neku replied. "But it's late, so we'll leave for the temple tomorrow."

"Where are you guys gonna sleep?" I asked.

"Actually, we brought our own supplies, seeing as we knew we would have to take you to the temple," Joshua grinned, and pulled out his pack. Pulling out a tent from the small pack, he looked at me and added, "I used that expansion spell on my pack like you did with yours."

"Gotcha," I nodded. Once their tent was set up, Neku stood and stretched with a grunt.

"Well, I'm gonna go for a walk before going to sleep," he declared. "Wanna come with, Yamato?"

"Sure," I agreed, and stood as well. "Night, you stay here."

"Will do, Yamato," the silver dragon smiled.

"We'll be back," the ginger announced, and led me out to the forest to wander around. As we walked, I couldn't help but think Neku had some ulterior motive for having me walk with him.

"Why did you invite me to walk with you, Neku?" I questioned in a soft voice. "I know you have a reason."

"Good catch, kid," he chuckled. "And you're right, I do have a reason. I wanted to talk to you about liking Taichi."

"What's there to talk about?" I mumbled. "He only thinks of us as friends. He said so himself earlier shortly before you and Joshua joined us." I felt slight tears burning in the corners of my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to clear them.

"I highly doubt that that's the case, Yamato," Neku sighed. "I'm sure he's got feelings for you, he might not be aware of them yet, though. It's all going to come with time."

"But I don't know if I can hold it all in for too long," I complained. "What can I do? How did you tell Joshua you liked him, Neku?"

"I actually didn't," Neku answered with a small laugh. "Joshua came onto me, and knew I liked him back without me having to say it."

"Well that's helpful," I scowled, glaring at the ground. Neku stopped and grabbed me by the shoulder, turning me towards him roughly. I was shocked to see his blue eyes glaring into my own.

"Listen, Yamato, it's not as difficult as you're making it seem," he growled. "I know it feels that way, but the outcome will be worth it."

"You promise?" I murmured, staring back at him.

"I can't promise how soon it will happen, but I can promise that when it does, it will definitely be worth the wait," he told me.

"…All right," I mumbled. "I'll tell him."

"Good boy," he praised, ruffling my hair. "Tell him tonight, 'cause Josh is talking with Taichi right now about his feelings towards you."

"_WHAT?!_" I yelped. "Why?!"

"Because he wanted to verify Taichi's love for you," Neku smirked.

"Can we go back now, then?" I whined.

"Fine. Let's get back to the campsite," the ginger chuckled, and we headed back, where we found Tai and Joshua close together in deep conversation.

"Good luck, Yamato," Neku told me quietly, and then called out to Joshua. "Joshua! Let's take a walk, just you and me now." The ashen blonde nodded and patted Tai on the back lightly before standing and following Neku out into the forest. Once they were gone, Tai turned slightly to look at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Shadow and Night are off on a walk, too," he informed me quietly, and I hesitantly sat down next to him. Here goes…

A/N: And there's the end of chapter 5! What's gonna happen?! Find out in the next chapter! R&R, peeps!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: What will happen during the talk? OH! Also, here are the descriptions for what Matt and Tai are wearing. Enjoy~

Matt—

Wears a pair of deep blue, worn pants, perfect for agile movement, a sleeveless, forest green, hooded t-shirt with a wolf head on the back, and a pair of black tennis shoes. His pack that he keeps with him is dark gray, and has a dragon patch and phoenix feathers on it.

Tai—

Wears a pair of black pants, a blood red v-neck shirt with a flame on the back, a pair of light gray converse, and a light blue headband with his goggles. His pack is blue and red.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story, Shadow, & Night.

Dragon Spirit

Chapter 6

Once I had sat next to Tai, he looked back into the fire. I copied him, gazing into the flickering flames.

"So, you like me, huh?" he murmured.

"Yes," I whispered.

"And as more than a friend?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you want to tell me?"

"…I'm scared you don't feel the same way," I mumbled, lowering my head. "I'm scared you'll hate me, and that things would be too awkward between us if I told you, then this journey wouldn't work out."

"Matt," Tai interrupted. "I don't care about all of that. It's fine. I promise."

"What makes you say that?" I asked in a slightly panicked voice. I was terrified he was going to say that we should split up for the time being. The brunette turned and gazed into my eyes when I finally looked up.

"Because, Matt, I like you, too," he admitted. I stared at him, shocked; he really liked me back? This is just too good to be true.

Suddenly, he pressed his lips to mine firmly, kissing me. Stunned, I didn't react at first, but when he started to pull away, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. I shivered when one of his hands ran down my spine, and moaned softly into Tai's mouth. When his tongue brushed against my bottom lip, I gasped, allowing him access to my mouth. The slick muscle pushed past my teeth, parting them, and swept through my moist cavern, tasting me.

Eventually, the need for air became too great, and we parted, breathing heavily. I noticed the brunette's chocolate brown eyes had darkened more to dark chocolate in color with lust, and I realized I had gotten hard. I blushed bright red, embarrassed to high hell, but the blush pretty much spread to my ears when Tai noticed. He smirked, licking his lips with the tip of his tongue, and I watched as he reached for my pants.

"Want me to take care of this for you?" he whispered, his voice low and husky.

"Please," I whimpered, and he pushed me back gently until I was lying on my back on the grass. He slowly, teasingly, pulled my pants and boxers down, until the articles of clothing were at my knees. That's when he lowered his head. I moaned loudly when the hot, wet suction enveloped my hardened cock, and involuntarily bucked my hips up. Tai was quick to pin my hips to the ground with his hands, though, causing me to make a noise of protest.

I gripped his hair tightly as he sucked, making him flick those chocolate orbs up to my face curiously, and hence drawing pleasured gasps and cries from me as his tongue swirled around my dick. He stopped for a brief moment, kissed the head of my erection, making me whimper, and then resumed sucking. Out of nowhere, Taichi deep-throated me, causing me to moan quite loudly.

"T-Tai…I'm g-gonna—" I stuttered, but didn't get to finish before I came, releasing into his mouth with a pleasured cry. I vaguely felt him swallow my cum, and as I lay there, panting and trying to catch my breath, he crawled over to lie next to me on his side so he could watch me recover.

"How'd I do?" the brunette asked softly, smiling slightly.

"I think…I died and…went to heaven…" I panted, looking into his eyes.

"That good, huh? And that was the first blowjob I've ever given, too," he chuckled.

"Really? Coulda fooled me," I laughed breathlessly. He kissed me gently on my lips, and when the kiss deepened, I gave a pleased sound as I realized the new taste to his mouth was me. We broke apart, gazing lovingly into the other's eyes. "I love you, Tai."

"I love you, too, Matt," he murmured, and then heaved a sigh after a minute.

"What?"

"We should probably get into the tent now, and get some sleep," he said.

"All right," I nodded, and sat up, pulled my boxers and pants back up, and then stood. I paused before going into the tent, though. "Wait a sec, what about Shadow and Night? And Joshua and Neku?"

"We're all back," Neku's voice rang out, and we looked to see our partners and friends standing at the edge of the campsite.

"How'd it go?" Joshua asked. "Oh, wait, never mind, we already know." He giggled at the last part.

"You heard us, didn't you?" I muttered, feeling mortified.

"Actually, we heard you, Yamato, not Tai," Neku smirked, and I immediately ducked into the tent, blushing bright red with embarrassment. The ginger poked his head into the tent for a moment. "Congrats, Yamato. I knew it would go well."

"Thanks, Neku," I smiled slightly at him, still blushing.

"Get some sleep, kid. You're gonna need it for tomorrow," he chuckled, and ducked out, allowing Tai to enter.

"You okay?" he asked in a worried voice as he crawled over to me. I lay down, resting my head on his chest and covering us with a blanket before answering.

"Yeah, just mortified that they heard us," I replied. He kissed my forehead before wrapping his arms around me in a warm embrace.

"It's okay, I thought it was hot," he snickered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever," I muttered. He kissed me lightly again.

"Goodnight, Matt," he murmured. "I love you."

"Goodnight, Tai. I love you, too," I breathed, and went to sleep in my new lover's arms.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

When morning came, I realized I hadn't suffered a nightmare at all, and I chalked it up to sleeping in Taichi's arms through the night. Yawning widely, I started to sit up, but stopped when I felt the brunette's arms still wrapped around my waist. I paused, not wanting to wake him, but I could tell we needed to get up for the day. So, instead of shaking him awake, I carefully shifted in his grip until I was facing him, and then pressed my lips to his in a gentle kiss. He didn't react immediately, but was kissing me back in a few seconds.

"Matt…" he sighed against my lips. When we parted, he had a goofy grin on his face. "Well, that had to be the best good morning I've ever gotten. I could get used to waking up like this."

"I'm glad you liked it," I smirked. A sudden scrambling from Joshua and Neku's tent had us both looking up, alarmed, though.

"Dammit, Joshua!" Neku's voice snapped, sounding flustered. "Please don't wake me up like that when we're not home!"

"But Nekky, you normally enjoy it!" Joshua's voice whined. I snickered quietly; sounds like Josh had tried to pull something on Neku.

"Yes, but we're not normally away from home!" the ginger hissed. "So don't try and get me hard in the morning when we're with friends!" I choked on a breath of air, and began laughing, as did Tai.

"I think they heard us, Nekky," Josh giggled.

"I know that!" Neku growled, and then he poked his head into our tent. "What are you two doing awake?"

"I woke up first, and then gave Tai a good morning kiss," I explained, snickering. "Did Joshua seriously try and get you hard first thing as soon as he woke up, Neku?" The older man blushed and glared at me.

"Yes, now shut the hell up!" he spat, and then ducked out. "Now they know your bad habit, Josh!" he shouted at his significant other.

"Oh please, Nekky," Joshua scoffed. "That just means we actually have a sex life."

"SHUT UP," the ginger growled. Tai and I exited our tent to see him scowling at the ground while Joshua was watching him with a pleased smirk on his lips.

"You just love pissing him off, don't you?" Tai guessed, looking at the ashen blonde.

"What was your first clue?" I chuckled. "He's always been like that with Neku."

"Very true, Yamato," my old boss giggled. "And I love teasing my Nekky~"

"Man, so much arguing and sugary sweetness in the morning is gonna give me a headache," Night complained as he joined us with a yawning Shadow.

"Good morning to you, too," I grinned at my partner.

"Oh, hush," he muttered. "Congratulations on last night, by the way, for confessing to Taichi."

"I knew they would like each other back," Shadow smiled. "So, when do we head out for the temple?"

"We can head out now and eat on the way," Joshua suggested. "And we're going by air."

"How? You guys don't have a ride," Tai pointed out, confused.

"Actually, we have my spirit animal, Kidaté," the ashen blonde smirked.

"Oh yeah, your Pegasus," I remembered. "I remembered her. She's beautiful."

"Yep, so let me summon her now," Joshua nodded, and then put two fingers to his lips and whistled. In a flurry of sparkles, a large, white winged horse appeared. She had violet tinges on the ends of her feathers and some violet strands in her mane and tail. Her eyes were ashen gold, and she seemed to smile at all of us.

"It's good to see you again, Yamato," she greeted. She looked at Joshua. "I'm assuming you need my services with flight?"

"Yes, we're going to the temple," he confirmed. "Kyuubi told you about what happened last night, right?"

"He did," she nodded. "All right, we'll head out when you're all ready." We began to pack up our things quickly, and then gathered in the center of the clearing. Shadow and Night shifted to their larger forms, and once Tai and I had climbed onto their backs, we all left the clearing, following Kidaté to the temple. We flew in silence, but as we got closer to the temple, I could feel Night tensing beneath me as the sky became dark with storm clouds.

"What's wrong, Night?" I asked over the wind.

"I keep feeling like we're going to be attacked, like it's a sixth sense or something," he growled, the sound rumbling through his chest. Kidaté and Shadow looked over at us, but then the winged horse shrieked and raced ahead as a blast of darkness shot after her.

"Look out!" she screamed, and I could see the panic in Joshua's and Neku's eyes as she weaved through the sky, desperately attempting to avoid the blasts. Night flapped his wings hard once, aiming a wind blade attack into the dark clouds, and slicing apart the covering in the sky to reveal seven dark, winged serpents.

"What the hell are those?!" Tai yelped.

"Sky servants of Ishu!" Kidaté shouted. "Watch out for their dark cannon attacks!" As soon as she said that, however, they fired at us, and we began to weave through the sky, trying to avoid the attacks and avoid colliding with each other.

A sudden loud whinny made me look over, and I gasped in horror when I saw that Kidaté had been hit. Joshua looked terrified for the first time that I could remember, and Neku held onto him tightly. Kyuubi appeared on Neku's shoulder, and he fired several blue fireballs at the dark cannon shots, blasting through them and hitting the sky servants.

"You need to fight back!" the fox shouted to Tai and me over the noise. We nodded and had our partners fly towards the sky servants. I whipped out my katana blades at the same time Tai pulled out his, and we streaked through the darkening sky at them. I severed one's head, and Night shot a light blast at another, successfully taking it out.

"Two down, five to go," I muttered under my breath as we darted off to kill another. I spotted Tai and Shadow as they killed a couple of them, and then Night flew closer to them. "Where'd the last three go?" I called.

"I don't know!" the brunette yelled back. Shadow and Night, though, seemed to know, because they snarled and bolted to rejoin Kidaté. The winged horse neighed loudly before charging up an attack.

"LIGHT PULSE!" she cried out, and released a burst of light energy from her body, destroying the last three of the serpents. Panting, she began to descend, spiraling towards the ground and landing heavily on the forest floor with a thud. Shadow and Night followed her, landing on either side of her as her chest heaved from her harsh breathing.

"Are you okay, Kidaté?" Joshua asked his spirit animal shakily, rubbing his hand along her neck.

"I'll be…okay…" she panted, her muscles quivering from the energy she had used.

"Thanks for the help, Kyuubi," Neku told the fox gratefully. "You arrived in the nick of time."

"Don't worry about it," Kyuubi smiled. "As long as Kidaté will be okay, that's what matters."

"Try not to worry about me too much," Kidaté giggled.

"What the hell was that all about?" I asked them, butting in.

"Apparently Ishu doesn't want you guys at the temple for some reason," Neku frowned.

"Hopefully we can get some answers eventually," Tai murmured.

"Yeah, really," Shadow grumbled.

"Let's rest here for now, guys," Joshua suggested. "I want Kidaté to rest before we move on."

"Sounds good to me," Night agreed. Shadow and Night shifted back to their normal sizes, and then we pulled out some fruit to eat. When Joshua began to rummage through his pack, though, the two dragons perked up when they caught scent of something.

"What meat do you have in your pack, Joshua?" Shadow demanded, his eyes gleaming with a hungry look.

"Oh, just unicorn meat. I meant to bring it out sooner, but I nearly forgot about it," the ashen blonde shrugged. "Want some?"

"Hell yes!" the pair of dragons cried out. Josh giggled and pulled out the meat, wrapped in white paper from the butcher's. It was a large cut, too, by the look of it. Night swiftly arranged some branches and rocks to make a small fire pit, and then lit it with his fire breath. Once the fire was burning, Shadow and Night cooked it over the fire before taking large pieces for themselves, and then handed some to Tai and me each.

"Thanks," we nodded to our partners, and watched as the two dragons happily ate their shares. I bit into mine, nearly moaning at the tenderness and heartiness of the meat. Tai watched me for a second before biting into his, too, and then he actually _did_ moan from the taste.

"I told you it was good," I smirked at my lover.

"Yeah, you were right!" he grinned once he had swallowed. We finished off our shares of the meat, laughing lightly at out partners when they sat back, sighing in content.

"So how far are we from the temple?" I asked Joshua and Neku as I leaned over onto Tai's shoulder. The brunette wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my temple lovingly.

"Probably a couple of miles, but it's going to be tomorrow that we head out," Neku answered. "I don't want to risk being attacked again in one day."

"Makes sense," Tai nodded, and then started to stand up. "I'll set up our tent, then." My lover pitched our tent, and the eight of us just chatted idly about random things until it was nighttime. Once the sun had fully set, Shadow doused the flames and everyone went to their respective sleeping places. As Tai and I settled down for the night in our tent, I gazed into his brown eyes with my blue ones, and he kissed me softly.

"Goodnight, Tai. I love you," I murmured against his lips.

"Goodnight, Matt. I love you, too," he whispered, and I wrapped my arms around his waist as he did the same to me. I sighed happily when he kissed the top of my head, and buried my face into his chest. Closing my eyes, I fell right to sleep in my love's embrace.

A/N: And there's that! I hope you enjoyed it, and I apologize for moving it a bit quickly, but I can't help it sometimes. Anyway, R&R, peeps!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry about the late update, been busy with school and some home drama. Anyway, I hope you guys liked the last chapter! Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story, Shadow, & Night.

Dragon Spirit

Chapter 7

"Gah! Dammit, Josh, not again! I swear I'll smash your face in next time you try that when we're not home!" Neku's voice shouted from his and Joshua's tent.

"But Nekky! You're so cute when you're flustered!" Joshua whined, but I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Sounds like Joshua tried to get Neku hard again," Tai chuckled as he held me.

"Yeah, it sure does," I snickered, and turned to kiss him. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you, too," he smiled when we parted. Neku suddenly opened our tent and poked his head in, his face flushed in embarrassment.

"Say anything about this, and I swear to god I'll bash your heads in with a brick," he growled, and then left to go back to Joshua. I heard a small snicker from nearby, and then Kyuubi appeared in our tent, balancing on my knee.

"Don't worry, he won't really," the yellow-furred fox assured us. "He's just embarrassed. He'll probably get pissed off and yell at you if you bring it up again, but try not to, for everyone's sake."

"No worries, Kyuubi. Wouldn't dream of it," I told him, and he gave a small, toothy grin.

"I believe you," he replied, and then vanished.

"Let's get up and see about getting some breakfast," Tai suggested, and I nodded in agreement, feeling a small hunger pang in my stomach.

"Hopefully Night and Shadow have caught something by now," I said, and we left the tent. Neku, still blushing and scowling, was sitting next to a smirking and seemingly pleased Joshua. Kidaté was munching on some grass nearby with a tiny smile on her face, and Shadow and Night were walking into the small campsite with a few rabbits.

"Good morning, Yamato," my partner greeted, dropping the rabbits he had by the fire pit and trotting over to me. Shadow copied him, but instead went to Taichi.

"Good morning, Taichi!" the black dragon practically chirped.

"Morning, guys," we replied, and I stroked the top of Night's head as Tai patted the top of Shadow's. We all sat down at the fire pit as the two dragons began skinning the rabbits and lighting the fire to cook them. As they cooked, Joshua spoke up.

"All right, once we eat, we'll head out for the temple," he informed us. Neku nodded.

"This time we'll have to be on high alert, though," he cautioned. "Kyuubi is going to remain with us while we fly on Kidaté for protection, and I'm going to have to access some of my power."

"Same here. It shouldn't take us too long, but we would rather be safe than sorry," Joshua added. Tai and I nodded in understanding.

"What exactly can you guys do as far as fighting goes?" Tai asked.

"Yeah, I've only ever seen Neku punch someone if they try and hit on him," I realized.

"Actually, I have pins that I can use to fight with," Neku answered. "I have one that launches three icicle spears from the ground, one that electrocutes my opponents, another that can shoot large fireballs at my foes, another that allows me to create large pillars of flames from the ground, a pin that allows me to tackle my opponents really fast, and finally, one that lets me summon a type of sword made of light for a powerful slash."

"Damn, that's impressive," I murmured, letting out a low whistle.

"As for me, I can use my cell phone to make things such as vending machines and cars drop on my opponents, and rain powerful beams down on them from above," Joshua smirked.

"Not to mention that you've stolen my mind-reading pin and used it on me," Neku muttered, glaring playfully at his boyfriend.

"Um, yeah, I have," the ashen blonde admitted, giving Neku a sheepish look.

"That's what I thought," the ginger smirked, and ruffled Joshua's hair.

"So, wait, you have a pin that allows you to read people's thoughts?" Tai asked Neku curiously.

"Yup. I don't use it often, though," he confirmed.

"That's so cool!" the brunette crowed.

"Is that how you figured out what was on my mind so often?" I demanded.

"Nah, that was all me being able to figure you out on my own," Neku assured me.

"Damn, you're good, then," Night remarked as he cooked the rabbits.

"Yeah, but I had Joshua to teach me a bit. He's always been good at reading people," the ginger shrugged.

"Wow, I didn't realize he was that good," I said.

"Yep," Joshua smirked. "It took a few years, but I learned quickly."

"Okay, guys, the rabbits are ready," Shadow announced, and the two dragons dished out some rabbit meat for us all. Once we had eaten, we packed up our supplies and got ready to head out. Night and Shadow shifted into their larger forms, and then Tai and I got onto our respective partners' backs. Joshua and Neku mounted Kidaté as Kyuubi hopped onto his partner's shoulder, and then the winged horse took to the skies with the rest of us following. We had been flying for a few hours when Kidaté began to descend.

"Why are we landing?" I called over the wind.

"We're getting close, and Kidaté senses something approaching in the sky, so we're playing it safe," Joshua shouted back. Night perked up and growled at that, and I could feel him reaching out with his telepathy in an attempt to detect any danger. A sudden roar sounded from above, and we all looked up in alarm to see a giant transparent form of a black dragon emerging from the darkening clouds.

"It's Ishu's shadow!" Kyuubi shrieked. "We must land, quickly!" We were swift to heed the fox's advice, and landed in the forest below. As soon as we landed, we took off on the ground, still on our partners' backs, heading for a more condensed part of the forest.

"What the hell is going on?!" Tai wailed.

"It seems Ishu is trying to test our strength!" Kyuubi answered. "We need to get to a thick enough part of the forest so we can fight easier!"

"Got it!" I nodded, and we finally got to a very thick sectioning of trees where the dragons had to climb over roots and such, but Kidaté was struggling to make it through.

"Go on ahead! I'll have to meet with you later!" she ordered, and Neku, Joshua, and Kyuubi got off of her back, so Tai and I quickly backtracked and helped them as she vanished. Neku and Kyuubi climbed onto Night's back with me while Joshua joined Shadow and Tai. An earth-shaking roar boomed above us, and some of the tree covering was ripped away by the shadow's claws.

"We'll have to fight!" I shouted, and Night nodded in agreement. "We'll never get away if we don't fight back!"

"Gotcha. Hold on, let me just…" Neku trailed off, and then fired several fireballs from his palm at the shadow. The shots struck their target, but didn't seem to do any damage. In fact, they seemed to piss it off more. "Dammit!"

"I got it," Night growled, and swiftly whipped around, his eyes turning completely white as he shot a beam of light energy at it. The shadow bellowed in pain, but then retaliated by firing a pulse of darkness from its jaws. "ACK!" Night darted away, taking to the sky, and then Shadow joined us.

"So, you two have finally almost gained your full strength back," the shadowy beast rumbled as we hovered in air. "This should prove to be interesting. But it will become more interesting when you gain back your memories."

"What are you babbling about?!" Shadow demanded.

"Oh, I'm not speaking nonsense, young fool," the shadow smirked. "You'll have to learn about who you really are now, and I'll help you!" Suddenly, the shadow solidified into the real Ishu, and his eyes glowed blood red. When they began to glow, Shadow and Night both howled in agony and plummeted to the ground, reverting to their smaller forms before they could hit the ground. The rest of us managed to land on the branches below with some ease, and then quickly climbed to down to the ground. Taichi and I ran to our partners worriedly. The brunette picked up Shadow and held him protectively.

"What did you do to them?!" I snarled at the giant dragon as I held my partner.

"I merely helped them regain their memories of their pasts," Ishu replied, examining his claws. "After all, it's no fun fighting your grandsons when they can't remember why they hate you. But don't worry; they'll still have their memories of their time since they re-hatched."

"Wait, that's the connection between you and them?" Kyuubi questioned. "How can they not remember it?"

"I won't tell you that here. I can share at Doom's Divide, or they can tell you when they wake up. Whichever comes first," the malicious dragon stated nonchalantly, and then vanished. "See you then, foolish humans…" There was a few short seconds of silence before I snapped.

"FUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKK!" I screamed, slamming my fist into the ground. Tears threatened to spill from the corners of my eyes, but I furiously blinked them back. I refused to cry, especially in front of Taichi. Neku placed his hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner in an attempt to comfort me.

"Come on, Yamato. We need to continue on," he told me. "The sooner we get to the temple, the sooner we can get to safety."

"…I understand," I mumbled, and picked Night up so I could carry him. Tai copied me, and we followed Joshua and Neku onward to the temple. We reached it within a few miles, and stopped at the entrance to the temple.

"This is it. This temple will help you to find your true strengths," Joshua said. "Come on. We'll set up camp inside." We all entered the temple, and torches lit up on the walls with alternating orange and blue flames. Kidaté reappeared nearby, and she dipped her head in greeting.

"I see you all got away safely, but I heard from Kyuubi about Shadow and Night," she murmured. Joshua ran his fingers through her mane, and he nodded.

"Yes. Unfortunately, I don't even know how long it will take for them to wake up," the ashen blonde admitted. "We'll have to be patient." The last statement was aimed at Tai and me.

"We understand," Tai replied, but I didn't say anything, just merely nodded. Thanks to Joshua and Neku, we soon had a fire pit made up, and I lit it with a small blue fireball. I kept close to Taichi and Night, and even though I rested my head on the brunette's shoulder, I still refused to sleep, just in case Night woke up. Finally, after I had yawned for the umpteenth time, Neku fixed me with a firm look.

"Yamato, Taichi, go to sleep. Joshua and I will take watch, and we'll wake you if your partners start to come to," he ordered. His tone didn't leave any room for argument, so I nodded once, and Tai and I crawled into our sleeping bag.

"It'll be okay, Matt," my love assured me, seeming as though he was trying to keep his courage up for both our sakes.

"I know, Tai, but he's the closest friend I've ever had," I sighed. Taichi kissed my lips lightly.

"Yeah, I know. But they're both strong," he reminded me. "We need to be courageous for our friends' sakes."

"You're right. I can do that," I smiled slightly. Our pendants began to brightly glow out of nowhere, and we quickly sat up, shocked. The temple shook around us, a few rocks falling further in.

"What's going on?!" Neku yelped, and then Kyuubi noticed our pendants glowing.

"They've accessed their true strengths!" the fox gasped. Suddenly, Shadow's and Night's eyes snapped open, Shadow's eyes glowing orange, and Night's eyes glowing blue. Orange light emitted from the gaps in Shadow's armor, while blue light emitted from the gaps in Night's. Everything in the temple stilled, and the pair of dragons walked over to Taichi and me.

"Taichi."

"Yamato." The dragons spoke our names in unison, and we gazed at our respective partners.

"We've finally regained our memories that had been lying dormant for the past 16 years," they told us. "And with those memories, our true power. Thank you, for everything. It is thanks to you gaining your true strengths of courage and friendship that we were able to wake up again. You never shunned us, nor pushed us away when we needed you, and vice versa. You took us in when you knew next to nothing about us, and basically left behind everything you knew to take on a journey you barely knew about. And for that, we thank you."

"The way you're speaking, it sounds like you're going to leave us," Tai pointed out.

"We may have to. It's going to be an extremely dangerous fight against Ishu. We nearly died the first time we fought him, and we don't want the same thing to happen to our best friends," they replied.

"But…Night, we're… supposed to be…inseparable…" I murmured, tears burning in the corners of my eyes.

"We can't let you go this alone," Tai growled determinedly. "We're partners, and will remain so through to the end." I nodded in agreement.

"…All right, we'll allow you to fight alongside us," Shadow smiled. Night leaned forward, and I stroked the top of his head, making him give a rumbling purr in his chest. "It seems Ishu was wrong about humans after all, dear brother," the black dragon said to Night.

"He definitely was. Claiming that humans would cower in fear of dragons, making it easier to enslave them…what a fool," Night shook his head in disbelief.

"Would you mind telling us about your pasts?" I asked. "I'd like to know my partner better, after all."

"Of course, Yamato," the silver dragon smirked. "Anything for the humans who helped to raise us from hatchlings."

"It's a long story, so you may want to settle in," Shadow warned. We all sat down and gazed at the two dragons, who by now had stopped glowing. Now to find out about their pasts, and their connection to Ishu.

A/N: Sorry about the cliffy, but I'm gonna end this chapter here, and I'll hurry along to update this fic soon! Now to work on Inner Wolf~ R&R, peeps!


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